


The Fine Print

by JakkuCrew (fromstars), perlaret



Series: Poe DADmeron [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gay Parents, Gen, Kid Fic, Latino Character, Poe DADmeron, Pre-Canon, not mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-25 01:02:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6173875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fromstars/pseuds/JakkuCrew, https://archiveofourown.org/users/perlaret/pseuds/perlaret
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So, Poe forgot to mention a few things when he signed on to the Resistance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fine Print

The thing about being a soldier was that you knew signing up that whenever orders came, you had to be ready to jump. Poe was good at jumping – usually head first, with eyes wide open and gunners blasting. It was exactly that attitude which had gotten him noticed by General Organa herself and invited into the ranks of the Resistance. It worked for him.

But when the orders come to relocate Rapier Squadron off-world and onto the _Echo of Hope,_ Poe felt himself balk for the first time.

He had known things were amping up, the initial drive to recruit fresh pilots waning with each passing week in favor of longer and riskier missions as their ranks filled out. Perhaps, Poe reflected for the first time, he’d been a little _too_ charming on the call-to-arms circuit.

The thing was, keeping his personal life private was going to be a lot harder living on board a ship full time. Downright impossible, even. But when he looked at his options, it took Poe all of thirty seconds to realize that there was no way in hell he was going to live apart from his baby girl long term.

Kaera was coming with him.

He just had to inform the Resistance of that small, fussy detail which still needed diaper changes. And stating that on holo-files wasn’t too difficult. His accommodations form was straightforward – a fill-in-the-blank document which had been repurposed from the Republic. Filling it out was the easy part, a series of answers and numbers to provide to formulaic questions:

Accommodations: Commander’s Quarters (standard size)  
Occupancy: 2  
Dependents: 1  
Age of Dependent: 18 months.

When he’d entered in the right numbers, additional blanks appeared on the form, prompting Poe to expand upon his data. The screen informed him in large capital letters: DEPENDENT HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO BE IN NEED OF GUARDIAN CARE. PLEASE INPUT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR SUBMIT LEAVE REQUEST.

Poe had held his breath, then continued.

Name of Dependent: Kaera Dameron Bey  
Dependent’s Republic ID: ORT-GRYY4-KDB001273  
Request for Dependent Guardian Support?: Yes  
If Guardian of the above named Dependent is humanoid, please provide name, age, and Republic ID: Maani Araya Torres, 25, ORT-GRYY4-MAT000321  
Request for additional Nanny droid?: Yes  
Accommodations Requested: Standard Civilian quarters (1)

It followed like that for several more pages, covering basics like dietary needs and financial history that he filled out with deliberate efficiency. And then it was done. Poe reviewed the information, approved it as correct, and pressed the button that would send and submit it to the proper inbox for final approval. He breathed out, set down the data pad, and tried not to think about how everything in his life was about to get a lot more complicated.

 

\--

 

“Look, Kaera,” Poe murmured, shifting his daughter to his hip so that she was angled toward the viewscreen as the Resistance shuttle slowed from hyperspeed. A planet was newly visible, lush and verdant green even from this distance. Kaera blinked drowsily from his side, still sleepy after waking from her recent nap. “That’s where we’re going.”

This wasn’t the first time Poe had taken her into space, but the last time she’d been little more than a newborn and he’d just been given his orders to report to Mirrin Prime. Now they were circling D’Qar, the secret home base of the Resistance. From there, they’d transition onto the _Hope,_ but it was good to get a sense of the world that would soon be their home over the few days they’d been allowed for the move.

“Come on, sweetheart. Time to get ready for landing,” he told her.

It didn’t take long, maybe another standard half hour before the ship was settling to the ground. Poe gave himself a moment to adjust to the pull of real gravity, like he always did when he touched down after hours spent in a passenger ship – the simulators, while useful, still never quite managed to feel the same. He was grateful Kaera seemed to be handling the change well; he’d worried she’d get fussy, but instead she was rapt with curiosity, head twisting to catch sight of where the small handful of other recruits on board were hurrying to. Patting her back, Poe got to his feet and followed after.

Kaera continued to wobble back and forth in her carrier, turning to try and take in as much of the hustle and bustle of the landing strip as she was able. She smiled brightly when they disembarked, watching Maani trailing behind them with the rest of the civilian crew. Before he could sort out where their things were being unloaded, Kaera looked up at Poe, and tapped his shoulder gently.

“Pa!” she exclaimed seriously, pointing at the crowd that had begun to line up by the ship.

“Oh,” Poe replied. “You’re right. Maybe we should go over there too.”

Poe crossed the tarmac, coming up behind the rear of the group. It soon became readily apparent what had drawn their attention as he shuffled a bit to the right, and none other than General Leia Organa herself came into view through the gap he found in the crowd.

“–our team here is already unloading your cargo and will shortly be able to help deliver it to your assigned on-base quarters. As you should already know, you’ll be here three days while we wait for the last group of recruits to get here, then you’ll start your assignments – if you’re not needed before then.” The General gave them a clipped smile, and Poe didn’t have to strain himself to imagine what sort of odds the Resistance must rally against on a regular basis. “That said,” she continued, “welcome to D’Qar. Rest up and get ready to work.”

There was a general murmur of agreement and approval, and probably no small bubble of awe that lingered over everyone. Poe could relate; he still hadn’t completely gotten over his own sense of awe that he’d been recruited to the Resistance by Leia Organa herself. He shifted back as people began to scatter, clearly intent on finding where they belonged next. Poe was distractedly trying to figure out just how, exactly one was supposed to figure out where their quarters were when Kaera, growing impatient, attempted a lurching sort of dive backwards from where she was strapped around his torso.

“Kaera, what the–”

“Commander Dameron.”

But for the grace of his fast reflexes, Poe managed to prevent Kaera from meeting the tarmac headfirst. Clutching to her for dear life, he straightened, meeting the General’s gaze.

“General Organa– Ma’am–,” Poe greeted, snapping a half-formed salute with one arm while he held on to his squirming daughter with the other. He looked down at Kaera when she didn’t remain still. “Kaera, please,” he pleaded.

Leia looked amused. “You didn’t mention your daughter to me before,” she noted. “I found out through the holowork you submitted.”

“Oh, right,” Poe said, casting about for an explanation, and trying not to show that he was surprised that the General had bothered herself with what he’d hoped was mundane desk jockey busywork. “Well, last we spoke, I was pretty excited to not be getting court martialed, ma’am. I don’t think it came up.”

“A fact for which she’s clearly punishing you now,” Leia observed as Kaera made another wild attempt to escape the confines of her carrier, making frustrated toddler noises as she did so.

“Sorry,” Poe managed with a wince, hoping this wouldn’t escalate into a full-on tantrum in front of everyone, but it looked like it was going to be a close call. “It was a long trip.”

“I know how it is,” she acknowledged ruefully.

“It’d be fine if– just– she’d stop– _here_ ,” Poe sighed, giving in to his daughter’s fussing. He paused to pull her out of her carrier where she’d been facing him, and reluctantly moved her to his hip. Hopefully, a change of scenery would keep her from reenacting any spectacular fairy tales about cracked eggs. Poe eyed his daughter. “Kaera. None of that was necessary, _mijita_ ,” he said.

“ _No_ ,” Kaera said firmly in response, before quickly turning to get a look at the General, eyes widening. “Me _mira_. Lady!”

“ _La General_ ,” Poe corrected. Kaera looked back at him, then at Leia again, her tiny brow bunching with concentration. Poe repeated it, canting his head to the side to watch her try and work it out.

Suddenly, she broke into a smile, and declared: “Ha!”

“Well, it’s a start,” the General laughed. She reached out, and his daughter was delighted at the opportunity to grab at her offered finger. “Kaera, was it? A pleasure to meet you, young lady.”

Poe knew he must be grinning as foolishly as he had been when he’d first met General Organa. He’d been struck then by the warmth and attentiveness that underlay her indisputably commanding presence, and that hadn’t changed even the slightest. Even more, he felt – relieved.

“I think she likes you,” Poe confided.

“As well she should,” the General smiled. “It’s good to have her. Not too many people have chosen to bring their families on base with them so far, for obvious reasons.” There was almost the hint of a question there, and Poe felt his stomach drop with discomfort.

“Yes, well,” he hedged, shifting Kaera’s weight so she sat more evenly at his hip. “My family would watch her, like they did me when I was her age… but I’d worry, her off in some other system entirely.”

“It’s understandable,” Leia said softly, as she let Kaera continue to play with her fingers. Though she didn’t elaborate, Poe could only guess at her personal meaning. He didn’t want to press the topic, but her quiet recognition – of worry, hope, and love – was comforting. For a moment, they shared a mutual silence, before the General’s attention shifted.

Poe wasn’t sure if Kaera was mesmerized by General Organa, or if the General was mesmerized by Kaera. Wonder crossed both of their features – and Leia studied his daughter intently.

“Those eyes…” she remarked, brushing a hand over Kaera’s cheek. “I could have sworn I’d met her before, Poe.”

“No,” Poe said, glancing between them. His chest felt tight with something he didn’t have a name for, and he found himself abruptly thinking of Shara Bey, and how proud she would have been to see her granddaughter and General Organa meet had she been alive to see it.  “I don’t think you have.”

“Still–” Leia started, but then someone called her name, and she turned just as an aide materialized to their side.

“Apologies, General, but the conference…”

“I haven’t forgotten,” she said, and just like that, all of the moment’s quietness was stripped away, pensiveness replaced by the the composure of a woman who knew there were too few hours at hand to accomplish all that was required of her. Still, she spared a small smile for Kaera, and for him as well. “Another time then, Poe.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “When we’re not so busy,” he added, knowing full well they would both be quite overwhelmed with work for the foreseeable future. Guiltily, he thought, he was even relying on that fact.

Leia raised a brow, but seemed to miss the implication. Wryly, she informed him, “This is the Resistance. Trust me, we’re always busy.”

With a last nod, she strode away and Poe sighed and resigned himself to the very familiar feeling of being in over his head. Shaking himself, he looked around, trying to reorient himself. “So,” he said conversationally, shifting Kaera around to face him and chuckling at her indignant expression. “Let’s figure out where we’re supposed to be.”

“Go!” Kaera declared, craning her head back towards where the General had disappeared into the base.

“Yeah,” Poe said. “In we go.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Comments are, as always, super appreciated.


End file.
